A Tribute to Mom

With Mother's Day right around the corner, I've been thinking about my mom and all the wonderful meals she cooked for her family.  I've shared many of her recipes over the years from entrees and side dishes to breakfast, desserts and foods she made only for holidays.

After she died, as I boxed up the contents of her kitchen -- the electric skillet she received as a wedding present; the measuring cups and spoons she taught me to use as a child; the white plastic mixing bowl she bought at a Tupperware party -- it hit me that I would never eat her cooking again.

It's been almost two decades and I still miss my mom and her cooking. Although there have been birthday cakes, there's never been another one of her made from scratch, three layer coconut cakes with a cooked white icing sprinkled with coconut.  While I'd love to have one more piece of her butterscotch pie, the food I miss the most, though, is her homemade rolls.

Growing up, I can't remember an Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas that there wasn't a basket of icebox rolls on the table.  These rolls also showed up on birthdays, when we had company, or when there were leftover mashed potatoes that needed to be used.  Family and friends weren't the only recipients of these rolls.

A few months after we moved, a repairman was working in the house while a batch of these rolls were baking.  He raved so much about how wonderful they smelled, my mother buttered a couple of rolls while they were hot and gave them to him when he left.  He started eating one as he walked out of the house and said he would be glad to come back any time she was making rolls.

Mom always told me the secret to good rolls was not using too much flour when kneading and cutting out the rolls.  For years, she made the rolls with homemade mashed potatoes, but later on substituted instant mashed potatoes without any discernible difference.  I don't have any pictures to share because I've never made these rolls.  It's also why I didn't elaborate on the directions.  The recipe is exactly as it appears on my mom's recipe card.  

Thanks, mom, for all the wonderful memories, delicious dinners and the strawberry covered recipe box filled with the recipes of my childhood that I can cook for and with your grandchildren who never had the opportunity to know you.

Happy Mother's Day from my mother's kitchen to yours!

Icebox Rolls

2/3 cup butter

3/4 cup scalded milk

1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup cold mashed potatoes 
1 (1/4 oz.) pkg. yeast, dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water

4 cups or more all-purpose flour

Melt butter; add to scalded milk.  Add the sugar and salt; let cool to lukewarm.  Add beaten eggs, potatoes, yeast and flour.  You've added almost enough flour when the dough is hard to stir and you have to turn it out on a board and knead it with your hands.  Add flour until the dough will not stick to the board; knead until smooth and elastic.  Put dough into a bowl and let rise until double in bulk.  Roll out and shape rolls.  Place on a greased baking sheet; let rise about 1 hour.  Bake at 400° until nicely brown.

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 11

My most popular recipe in 2013 -- and my fourth most popular of all time -- is my grandmother's made from scratch pound cake, or what we refer to as loaf cake.  Instead of making one cake, make multiple cakes by baking the batter in miniature loaf pans.  A nice touch is to bake and give the loaves in holiday themed pans like the ones pictured below.  The number of cakes will vary depending on the size of the pans you use.  The mini loaves will bake faster so remember to reduce the baking time.

© Margaret's Morsels

12 Days of Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen: Day 4

Every year at Christmas, one of my former coworkers would give me a Mason jar filled with homemade chocolate covered cherries made by his wife.  She decorated the jar by attaching a round piece of Christmas fabric between the lid and the ring.  This added a touch of festivity to the delicious treat waiting inside.  I don't have her recipe, but I do have one that I shared four years ago.  If you want to make these, you need to plan ahead because the finished cherries need to sit five days before they're ready to eat.  

© Margaret's Morsels

A Piece of Cake

Not too long ago, I made a batch of coleslaw to go with our supper. Although the coleslaw was gone in a couple of days, a mostly full pint of buttermilk remained in the refrigerator.  I didn't want to throw it out so I used it to make my grandmother's loaf cake.  Calling this delectable dessert a loaf cake is a misnomer because my grandmother didn't bake it in a loaf pan.  My mother didn't use a loaf pan either and neither do I. What my family fondly refers to as a loaf cake is actually a pound cake.  The name isn't the only thing that's different about this recipe.

Pound cakes got their name because they were originally made with one pound each of flour, butter, sugar and eggs.  Now days, pound cakes can include leavening agents such as baking soda or baking powder; flavoring or even multiple flavorings; add ins such as fruit, nuts and chocolate to name a few.

Pound cakes are still made with butter -- or margarine -- although not necessarily a pound.  Some recipes also call for shortening, in addition to the butter or margarine.  My grandmother's recipe is made with shortening. I can tell you from personal experience the cake isn't as good when it's made with anything other than shortening, so no substitutes!

A lot of pound cake recipes call for the fat (butter, margarine, shortening) to be creamed first and then the sugar gradually added.  Not this recipe.  The shortening and sugar are creamed together from the beginning

 until light and fluffy, about five to seven minutes.

Don't rush the creaming process.  It's an important component in baking for two reasons.  One, it incorporates air into the batter which results in a lighter cake.  Two, the sugar gets evenly dispersed throughout the fat.  The sugar doesn't dissolve so don't expect the creamed mixture to be perfectly smooth.  If you feel the creamed mixture with your fingertips, it will have a slightly gritty texture.

My grandmother's recipe is also different when it comes to adding the eggs. Every pound cake I've ever made, except this one, calls for the eggs to be added one at a time and beaten until combined.  My grandmother's recipe calls for beating the eggs together, adding them all at once 

and then mixing them into the creamed mixture until combined.

Cake recipes typically call for combining the dry ingredients and adding them alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  This sequence is very important.  The creamed mixture can't absorb much liquid so it's imperative to add the dry ingredients first. If you don't, you'll end up with a tough cake.  Unless otherwise directed, a good rule of thumb is to add 1/3 dry, 1/2 wet, 1/3 dry, 1/2 wet and 1/3 dry. When you add the ingredients, mix them only until combined.  Overmixing will cause the cake to be tough.  My grandmother's recipe alternates wet and dry ingredients, but there is a slight difference.

Instead of combining the dry ingredients, only the flour is added alternately with the wet ingredient I alluded to in the first paragraph, buttermilk.  Not only does buttermilk produce a cake that is tender, it also adds a slight tangy flavor to the finished product.  More importantly, though, it's a crucial ingredient for this cake to be successful.  For that reason, no substitutes allowed!  However, if you don't have buttermilk, you can make sour milk which will take the place of buttermilk.  To make 1 cup sour milk, put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar in a measuring cup.  Add enough milk to make 1 cup.  Thoroughly stir the mixture and let it sit for 5 minutes; proceed as directed.

The only flavoring in my grandmother's recipe is vanilla.  I highly recommend using pure vanilla extract.  I know it's expensive, but it tastes so much better that imitation vanilla.  The vanilla and two leavening agents (baking powder and baking soda) are added at the same time and mixed into the batter. 

Most baking powders are double-acting which means they release gas when mixed with a liquid and again when exposed to heat.  On the other hand, baking soda must be mixed with an acid in order to work as a leavening agent.  Buttermilk or sour milk acts as the acid.  This is why you can't substitute another liquid for the buttermilk.

The rest of the recipe is straightforward.  Grease and flour a Bundt or tube pan.  Or, what I do, spray the pan with Baker's Joy, a nonstick baking spray that contains flour.

Put the batter in the pan

and bake 45 to 60 minutes, or until done.

The easiest way to tell when the cake is done is to insert a toothpick in the cake.  If the toothpick comes out clean, or with a few crumbs, the cake is done.  Other signs include a top that springs back when lightly touched and a cake that pulls away from the sides of the pan.  Let the cake cool in the pan 10 minutes and then remove it to a wire rack to cool completely.

I serve the cake plain just like my mother and grandmother did.  If you want it a little fancier, add fresh fruit or a scoop of ice cream on top of each slice when it's served.  If you want to garnish the whole cake, an easy way to do that is to sprinkle powdered sugar on top after the cake is completely cool.

I don't know why the directions for my grandmother's recipe are different from other pound cake recipes.  I don't even know why or how the cake came to be know as a loaf cake!  What I do know, though, is that the cake is delicious and the method, although not conventional, works each and every time.  It's also a tasty way to use leftover buttermilk.  Even better, though, is to buy buttermilk specifically for this cake and find some other way to use the rest of the buttermilk!

Loaf Cake

12 to 16 Servings

1 cup shortening (no substitutes)

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, beaten

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup buttermilk or sour milk (no substitutes)*

2 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

Cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, about five to seven minutes.  Beat eggs and add all at once to creamed mixture; mix well.  Add flour and buttermilk alternately, beginning and ending with flour; mix after each addition until just combined.  Add vanilla, baking soda and baking powder; mix until combined.  Pour batter in a greased and floured Bundt or tube pan.  Bake at 325° for 45 to 60 minutes, or until done.  Put the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes; remove the cake and cool completely on the wire rack.

*To make 1 cup sour milk, put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar in a measuring cup.  Add enough milk to make 1 cup.  Thoroughly stir the mixture and let it sit for 5 minutes; proceed as directed.

© Margaret's Morsels

24 Carat Cake: Putting it All Together

On Tuesday, I shared a recipe for a made from scratch carrot cake. Today, I want to talk about assembling, frosting and decorating the cake.

After all the chopping, grating, sifting, measuring and mixing I do to make this cake, you'd think I'd make the frosting too, but I don't.  I think store bought frosting is just as good as what I make.  If you agree, you'll need two (14 ounce) containers of cream cheese frosting.  If you prefer homemade, you'll need to make enough to fill and frost a three layer cake.

Let me preface this by saying I am not a cake decorator.  The tips I'm sharing may not be the way professionals decorate a cake, but this is what I've found works for me.  If you've got tried and true techniques for assembling and decorating a cake, by all means continue doing it the way that works for you.

Cake decorators apply a thin layer of frosting called a crumb coat.  When this dries, it seals in the loose crumbs and keeps them out of the final layer of frosting, which makes the cake prettier.  Maybe it works for a cake decorator, but not for me.  Through trial and error, I found a way to achieve the same result, but I use a different method.

When the cakes are completely cool, I put them -- wire rack and all -- in the freezer for 30 minutes.  This isn't long enough to freeze them, but long enough to keep most of the crumbs in place.

While the cakes are in the freezer, you can line the edges of a cake plate with strips of wax paper.  This keeps the cake plate clean.  I've tried this before and nearly tore up the cake trying to remove the wax paper.  I find it easier to wipe off the plate when I'm done decorating the cake.

When I wrote about making the cake, I said the walnuts sprinkled in the cake pan before the batter was added would play a role in assembling the cake.  The walnuts make it easy to explain whether the cake layer goes upside down or right side up!

Gently remove a cake layer from the wire rack and place it on the cake plate with the walnut side up.

If the cake isn't level, use a serrated knife to slice a thin piece off the bottom.  Cover the top with the desired amount of frosting.

The easiest way to do this is with an offset spatula.  An offset spatula has a bend in the blade which makes it ideal for spreading frosting.

If you notice any crumbs on the spatula, wipe the spatula off before adding any more frosting.  This keeps the remaining frosting free of crumbs.

Place the middle layer with the walnut side down, the opposite of the bottom layer. 

Because you'll be frosting the side of the cake that rested on the wire rack, there may be some crumbs.  Since this layer is in the middle, crumbs won't be noticeable, as long as you make sure to wipe off the spatula before adding more frosting.  Cover the top with the same amount of frosting as you used on the bottom layer.

Place the top layer with the walnut side up, the opposite of the middle layer. Placing the cake layer this way makes a level surface for the top of the cake.

This time, generously cover the top and sides with the frosting.  The cake needs to sit overnight to allow the flavors to blend.  Cover it with a cake dome or store it in a plastic cake keeper so it doesn't dry out.

The cake can be served as is or you can garnish it.  The easiest way to garnish it is with chopped walnuts.  The walnuts can be sprinkled on top of the cake and pressed into the frosting all around the sides of the cake.  My husband isn't a fan of walnuts so I decorate the cake with marzipan carrots.

Marzipan is a sweet, pliable paste made of ground almonds, sugar and, sometimes, egg whites.  It can be found in the baking aisle at most grocery stores.  Marzipan is easy to color and mold into a variety of shapes.

To make carrots, tint some of the marzipan orange.  You can use liquid food coloring or, what I like to use, gel icing color.  Gel icing color is a concentrated paste sold in small jars in a variety of colors.  It produces richer, more vibrant colors and, because it's concentrated, a little dab will do!  If you've never worked with gel icing color, the most important thing to remember is to use a toothpick to remove it from the jar.  If you need to add more color, use a clean toothpick and repeat the process.  This keeps the gel from getting contaminated.  Knead the color into the marzipan adding more, if necessary, until you reach the desired shade.

Pinch off a piece of marzipan and roll it into a small ball.  Roll the ball between your palms, elongating it into the shape of a carrot.

To give the carrots a realistic look, use the dull edge of a table knife and press two or three horizontal lines into the carrots, making sure not to cut all the way through.

To make the green tops, color some of the marzipan green.  Press the marzipan through a small sieve using the back of a spoon.  This produces thread like strands which, like the lines on the carrot, make it look realistic.

Use a knife to remove the strands and place them on the top of the carrot.

To save time, you can make the carrots a couple of days ahead of time and store them in an airtight container so they don't dry out.  I put them on top of the cake the day I serve it.  If you put them around the top of the cake, you can sprinkle the center with chopped walnuts.

This cake takes time to make, but it's worth the effort.  You may not want to make it very often, but save it for special occasions like Easter.  Maybe it will become a cherished Easter tradition at your house just like the bunny cake is at mine!

24 Carat Cake

The last two years, I've shared pictures and directions for making a bunny cake.  This cake is a cherished Easter tradition at my house.  This year, I thought I'd share the recipe for the Easter cake I made before I had kids. Just like the bunny cake, this recipe also came from a high school home ec class.  Unlike the bunny cake which starts with a cake mix, this cake is made from scratch.

If you haven't already guessed, the blog title is a play on words for the best carrot cake I've ever eaten.  It's different from most carrot cake recipes I've seen.  One, it doesn't use pineapple.  Two, it uses brown sugar instead of white.  Three, instead of being flavored only with cinnamon, it also uses nutmeg and cloves.  Speaking of spices, check your spices ahead of time to make sure they're good.  If they have little or no aroma, throw them out and buy new ones.  If you can't smell them, you won't be able to taste them either.

Before you start mixing anything, do the chopping, grating, sifting and measuring.  Once you've done all this, making the cake is, well, a piece of cake!

Finely chop some of the walnuts and coarsely chop the rest.

Grate the carrots.  This is fast and easy to do if you have a food processor. If you're like me and don't have one, grate the carrots by hand, making sure you don't grate them into long strips.

Sift some flour and then measure out three cups.  Sift the flour again with the baking powder and salt.  Sifting removes any lumps, helps blend ingredients and incorporates air which makes the ingredients lighter.

Measure the remaining ingredients.  Unlike white sugar which is spooned into a measuring cup and leveled off, brown sugar needs to be packed into the measuring cup.  When it's removed, the brown sugar will retain the shape of the cup.

Once all the prep work is done, it only takes a few minutes to mix up the cake batter.  Use a mixer to combine the brown sugar, eggs, oil and spices. Add the flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Stir in the carrots and coarsely chopped walnuts.

Grease three 9-inch round cake pans.  Instead of flouring the pans, divide the finely chopped walnuts between the three pans.  The walnuts take the place of the flour and add some texture to the layers.  It will also play a role when it comes time to assemble and frost the cake.

Divide the batter evenly between the three pans.  I use a large cookie scoop to put equal amounts of batter in each pan.

Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until done.  If you bake all three pans at the same time, rotate them once to ensure even baking.  Take the pans out of the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.  Remove the cakes from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

Since this post is so long, I'm going to split it up into two parts.  Check back later this week for directions on assembling, frosting and decorating this 24 carat cake.

Carrot Cake

10 to 12 Servings

1 1/2 cups walnuts, divided

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 cups brown sugar, packed

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cloves

3 Tbsp. milk

3 cups grated carrots

Coarsely chop 1 cup walnuts; set aside.  Finely chop the remaining walnuts.  Grease 3 (9-inch) round cake pans.  Coat each pan with approximately 2 1/2 tablespoons of the finely chopped walnuts.

Combine the brown sugar, eggs, oil and spices in a large bowl; beat with a mixer until combined.  Resift the flour with baking powder and salt.  Add half the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, beating until combined.  Add the milk all at once, beating until combined.  Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until combined.  Stir in the carrots and remaining walnuts.

Divide the batter evenly between the three pans.  Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until done.  Cool pans on wire racks 10 minutes.  Remove cakes from the pans and cool completely on wire racks.

© Margaret's Morsels

Store Bought or Homemade?

There are a lot of recipes on the web that are supposed to replicate dishes served in restaurants.  There are also recipes for grocery store products such as Ritz crackers, Bisquick and sweetened condensed milk to name a few.

As someone who loves to cook, I like to think homemade is better than store bought.  However, I'm wondering if recipes for grocery store products are any good and, more importantly, are they worth the time and effort. Has anyone ever made any copycat grocery store recipes?  If so, were they as good as the original?  Would you make them again? 

© Margaret's Morsels

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!  There's no better time to scream for ice cream than July since it's National Ice Cream Month.


When I got married, my husband and I registered for, and received, an electric ice cream maker that used rock salt and ice, lots and lots of ice.  I used it a half dozen times and then put it in the back of the closet, pulling it out only for special occasions.  It was just too much trouble to use.


Several years ago, I bought an automatic ice cream maker that does not require rock salt or ice.  I was so impressed with how easy it was to use, I sold the electric ice cream maker at a yard sale.  The automatic ice cream maker not only looks different from an electric ice cream maker, it works differently too.

Automatic Ice Cream Maker

The automatic ice cream maker comes with a bowl that contains a liquid inside its walls.  The bowl must be put in the freezer for 24 hours before you make the ice cream.  The liquid in the walls freezes which lets you make the ice cream without rock salt or ice.  Once the bowl is frozen, put the bowl in the ice cream maker, insert the paddle, put on the lid and turn the unit on.  The bowl starts turning and you pour the thoroughly chilled ice cream mix into the bowl through an opening in the lid.  Twenty minutes later you have ice cream.

Although this ice cream maker has a lot of pros, it also has some cons.

• You need to plan accordingly so you have plenty of time to freeze the bowl, chill the mix and, if desired, let the ice cream harden before you serve it.  I generally start the process two days before I'm going to serve the ice cream. 

• It's not as large as a regular ice cream maker so you can't make more than 1 1/2 quarts at one time.  Since most ice cream recipes make more than that, it's a good idea to purchase a second bowl.  If you don't, you'll have to freeze the bowl again before you can finish making the batch.

• The ice cream mix must also be made a day ahead and refrigerated so it's very cold when your pour it into the frozen bowl.  

• Unlike the old ice cream makers that had to be packed with rock salt and ice and allowed to "ripen," this ice cream is ready to eat as soon as it's done.  If you like soft ice cream, this is a good thing.  We prefer a firmer ice cream so I immediately transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze it overnight.

Soft ice cream is ready in 20 minutes.

The ice cream after being frozen overnight.

My favorite ice cream recipe is the one my mother used.  I have no idea where the recipe came from, but it's the only one she ever used.  The only change I've made is using egg substitute instead of raw eggs.  Well, that and the fact that I don't need rock salt and ice!

Vanilla Ice Cream
3 Quarts

egg substitute equal to 6 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 (14 oz.) cans sweetened condensed milk

3 qt. whole milk

1/4 cup pure vanilla extract

pinch of salt

You need a very large bowl.  If you don't have one, make two batches using half the ingredients in each batch, or halve the recipe and make 1 1/2 quarts.

Put egg substitute in a bowl.  Add sugar; stir.  Add the remaining ingredients; mix well.  Pour into freezer container and freeze according to manufacturer's directions.

If you use an automatic ice cream maker, you need to refrigerate the mixture in advance.  It's easier to pour in the machine if you store it in gallon jugs or 2-liter bottles.  Shake or stir the mixture before pouring it into the machine so the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

© Margaret's Morsels